#exterminator 2

[fitsofgloom]

"You want to clean out the streets? I AM the streets!"

[reanimateddeadflesh666]

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Exterminator 2 (Buntzman, 1984)

The premise and poster guarantee a baseline of enjoyment, and I can report that I didn’t mind sitting through the hour and a half runtime. Listen, I’m a man of simple pleasures, and you have the guy showing up with a flamethrower like in the poster and setting bad guys on fire with some regularity, I will not find the movie entirely unsatisfying. And unlike a lot of movies with a cool poster that might mislead you with respect to the contents of the actual film, this very much delivers on that front. If I’m filing a consumer report, I will not be lodging a complaint regarding false advertising.

I’d seen the first movie years ago and while I’m hazy on specific story details, the overall grimy ambience has lingered in my memory. This is nowhere near as sleazy on the whole. There are certainly exploitative elements, but the tone is much more cartoonish and the violence lacks the pungent charge of the original. The result is not unlike the transition from Death Wish II to Death Wish 3, trading grime for camp, although it never reaches the heights of the latter movie, which turns a city block into a war zone. (There’s also a similar use of Chekhov’s machine gun, although this movie does it with less gusto.) This is most evident with the depiction of the villains, who look more like music video extras than authentic street toughs or scumbags, and the leader of whom, played by Mario Van Peebles, is dressed like Vernon Wells from The Road Warrior. This is not a documentarian portrait of vigilantism by any means. Something was in the air generally, as you could see action movies transition to varying degrees of excess during those years, evident not just in the Death Wish movies but things like the Rambo and Max Max franchises as well. Something was definitely in the air at Cannon Films, which produced this movie and was in the habit of chasing trends no matter how ill-advised. It’s the only explanation for why this movie stops in the middle for a scene where the hero’s girlfriend joins some breakdancers in the park while electro blares on the soundtrack. I’m not complaining. If I can make a second case in favour of this movie, it’s that is serves as the movie you put on when you don’t know which Cannon Films production you want to watch.

All that being said, while I don’t think Death Wish 3 is the best directed movie, you can appreciate the conviction with which it lays waste to its villains and their environment, and the qualities that Charles Bronson brings to such material. Even if he’s less than fully committed, there’s an understatement, an implied capacity for violence, that makes him permeate a certain repugnant aura that makes him compelling in these contexts. This is a guy you do not want to fuck with. In contrast, I don’t think Robert Ginty has the same presence, although I think the issue is less his performance than the way he’s directed. No, he’s not the most charismatic actor, but there’s something curious about the way the movie seems to undermine him at every turn, cutting away anytime he’s been on screen for more than a few seconds, even if it’s in the middle of a dialogue scene. I understand the movie underwent extensive reshoots (and many of the violent scenes were added thusly), but the results onscreen are baffling. You even see it being done to Van Peebles, who is trying to give the kind of juicy, teeth gnashing performance that turn movies like this into cult favourites, yet is rarely afforded the grandeur he deserves. It’s a shame, because he certainly is magnetic.

So yeah, not great, but it’s not like Death Wish 3 has breakdancing or Breakin’ has gang members being flamethrowered, so maybe this is worth a look with low enough expectations.

[movieposters1]

[cozyscozystumbler]

「ワンス・アポン・ア・タイム」と来たら「アメリカ」でも「ウエスタン」でもましてや「ハリウッド」でもなく「チャイナ」と真っ先に思い浮かべる香港映画も好きな拙者、だったらジェット・リーさんの代表作「ワンチャイ 天地大乱」みたく「ワンハリ」にも「天地大乱」を付けてみよう！とアホみたいな妄想したのが始まりのワンハリ妄想ポスターでございます。

劇中のブラピさんは軍隊仕込みの格闘術の使い手だし（あと、人を殺すのにためらいがない）プリオさん（ディカ）は火炎放射器で「ゴアーッ！」と大暴れするのでアクション映画の要素は充分（の、はず）だからしてアクション映画風ポスターもイケる！というワケでかなり強引に妄想開始。

プリオさんは武器が火炎放射器だから「エクスターミネーター２」のビジュアルと合体させて活躍を捏造（本編画像にイイのがなかったので）ブラピさんは他のでブルース・リーと縁がある映画「ファイト・クラブ」のタイラー・ダーデンの顔を使って（これまたイイのがなかった）体は筋肉質なのが大事だからなんとなーく実写「北斗の拳」のそこそこ細身な筋肉の持ち主ゲイリー・ダニエルズと合体（最初、ジャン・クロード・ヴァンダムで試してみたらムキムキすぎて合わなかった）

ここらへんまでは「ワンチャイ 天地大乱」のポスターを元に作っていたのが、途中からなんか違うかなー？と思ったので色々探して、シュワルツェネッガー「コナン・ザ・グレート」のタイトルロゴが気に入ったのでそれを下敷きに制作進行、下半分がさみしかったので景気のイイ爆破とシチュエーション不明のピンチが良さげなマイケル・ダディコフ「アメリカン忍者２」のビジュアルを追加。なんやら混ぜこぜしてるうちに結果、非常に間違った「ワンハリ」妄想ポスターの完成となりました。

映画評論家の町山智浩さんの解説で、もともとはバート・レイノルズが出演予定だった、というのを聞いて「じゃあ」と拙妄想作品で実現してみたのと（バイクでシャロン・テートを救出する役！）あと「ワンス～」ではあまり良い人物として描かれなかったブルース・リーもこちらの妄想作品では主人公と共闘する側に置いてみたのがポイントですね！

[stillsmybeatingheart]

[theactioneer]

Dominator aka Exterminator 2 Italian poster (Mark Buntzman, 1984)

[reanimateddeadflesh666]